


Time Waits For Nobody

by Rachel_Lu



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Gold Sickness, I Love You, Sickfic, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-04-22 23:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4855286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachel_Lu/pseuds/Rachel_Lu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor decides it's about time he said he loved Rose Tyler.  But as always, she's full of surprises.</p><p>Based on "Time" by Freddie Mercury</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time Waits For Nobody

_Time waits for nobody, We all must plan our hopes together_

There was one thing the Doctor realized shortly after he regenerated: that Rose Tyler was more important than Time Lord rules that bound him.  Did they really bind him, now that they were gone?  Would he be denied the woman he loved as well as his home.

He was owed one out of two, at least, he decided.  The question was when he was going to get over his cowardly ways and take it.

_Or we'll have no more future at all, Time waits for nobody_

It took him awhile.  He watched her read in the library and shuffled his feet until she looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow inquisitively.  He'd then dart out of the room and she'd shout his name after him, asking him what was wrong, and of course he couldn't tell her!

How was someone supposed to tell their best mate they loved them?  It was proving to be more difficult than earlier anticipated.

_We might as well be deaf and dumb and blind, I know that sounds unkind_

He felt very stupid.  Very, very, very stupid.  He couldn't just come out with it? Couldn't just shout it at her, and then kiss her, and everything would be fine?  Of course not, because he was a bloody coward, no matter how much he wanted to hold her.

She seemed to be getting fed up with it too, with occasional inquiries of "Doctor, why are you staring at me?" or "Doctor, why do you keep cracking your knuckles?  Are you anxious?"

She was worried and she _cared_ , and he didn't really know what to do with it.

_But it seems to me we've not listened to, Or spoken about it at all,The fact that time is running out for us all_

He supposed part of it was the fact that he knew she would die before him, but, then again, wasn't everyone going to die before him?  Why shouldn't he have her?  And if she wanted him, it would be perfect, wouldn't it?

Even if her time was running out, he wanted to hold her for as long as possible.  He wanted _her_ for as long as possible, to turn the hourglass on its side so no more time ran out.

Time waits for nobody, Time waits for no-one, We've got to build this world together

He showed her new worlds, he showed her beautiful things, and some of those things she made better because she was just as beautiful.  He watched her fall in love with all of the natives, and watched them fall in love with her. 

She was beautiful, and glowing, and that's when he noticed...

She was frozen in time.

_Or we'll have no more future at all, Because time - it waits for nobody_

He couldn't suppress the feeling that they were running out of time, that something was wrong, that a storm was approaching.  And he couldn't let that happen.  He would keep them in the Vortex forever if it meant keeping her safe. 

But, he had to remember if there was one thing he knew, it was that time kept ticking even if you didn't want it to.

_You don't need me to tell you what's gone wrong (gone wrong gone wrong), You know what's going on_

"Doctor, I think something's wrong with me," Rose told him one night over a dinner of chips.

"What's that, Rose?" The Doctor asked. 

"It's sort of odd," she replied, shifting awkwardly, "Stuff like, my leg hair not growing and... Yeah, that."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows.  "What?  How is that... What?"

"That's what I thought," Rose laughed awkwardly.  "That doesn't happen." 

"No, it doesn't."

"Trip to the med bay?"

"I think so, yes."

_But it seems to me we've not cared enough,Or confided in each other at all (confided in each other at all)_

"How long has this been going on?" The Doctor asked, trying to maintain a steely expression as he looked at the computer.

"A couple months," Rose replied.

"And why didn't you tell me?"

"I dunno, it was convenient," Rose shrugged, "The leg hair not growing thing.  I still got a haircut last week though, cause I needed one, isn't that weird?"

"Not really," the Doctor replied, "Not now that I know what it is."

_It seems that we've all got our backs against the wall_

Rose watched him for a moment.  "Well, what is it?" She asked impatiently.  "Am I dying?"

"Quite the opposite, Rose," the Doctor pulled his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose.  "When you had the TARDIS in you, something happened in your biological makeup."

"That's fantastic," Rose replied, "Would you like to tell me what that means for little me?"

"You're... Well, you're temporarily frozen in time."

_(Time) Time waits for nobody, (Time) waits for no-one_

Rose blinked hard.  "What?"

"Yeah.  You're semi-immortal, now," the Doctor said, trying to push down his incredible excitement.  "Got about 500 years left in you."

Rose's eyes widened.  "What?!"

"Semi-immortal," the Doctor repeated. He walked to where she sat on the exam table.  "Do you believe me?"

_We've got to trust in one another, Or there'll be no more future at all_

 Rose watched him for a few moments, studying his eyes, and then nodded slowly.  "Yes," she whispered, "I believe you."

_Yeah - Time waits for nobody, No no - Time don't wait for no-one_

Without thinking to stop himself, he let out a whoosh of breath and leaned forward to tip his forehead against her shoulder.  She pulled her hands up and rubbed her palms up and down his back.  "You okay?"

"Yeah," he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist.  "Yes, I'm okay."

_Let's learn to be friends with one another, Or there'll be no more future at all_

Rose giggled as she held him.  "You're mad, aren't you?"

"You're gorgeous," he replied.

She snorted, "Not the point, really, is it?" she replied. 

He pulled his head back from her shoulder and stared into her eyes, "But it's true," he insisted, "And I never tell you, and I should always tell you."  He tugged her closer to him so that she was on the end of the exam table.

_Time (time) time (time) waits for nobody waits for nobody, Time time time time waits for nobody at all_

 Rose watched him in stunned silence as he continued.

"Rose, I realized something.  You and I... We have forever now.  But before, I wanted to tell you, I have to tell you, because I think it's quite possible I'll explode if I don't, and-"

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Do shut up."

And with that she laced her fingers into his hair and pulled him in to kiss her.

_Let us free this world for ever, And build a brand new future for us all_

"I love you," he blurted out when they finally pulled apart from each other.  "I really, really, really love you, endlessly, Rose Tyler."

She smiled and stroked his cheekbones with her thumbs.  "I love you too," she whispered, and her mouth split into a wide grin.  "I love you!"

_Time waits for nobody nobody nobody, For no-one (Except the Doctor and Rose Tyler)_

"Those words are yours, now," the Doctor said quietly, "And they're yours forever, now, an honest to goodness forever." 

"Time doesn't stay still forever," she reminded him.

He grinned at her.  "It does for us."


End file.
